Just picked me up some.....

Winter cooties!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh can you believe it...RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!....Wasn't feeling that great at the Sparky + the Urchyn Show, and then the next day = WHAMMO!! coughy, gooey achey goodness woke me up in the morning!!!! So me and the duvee/doona have had a hot date for the last couple of days!! Although i did manage to get out of my cootie-fest to eat 1/2 tub of icecream and watch some chic flicks (which my cute lil beau thought might make me feel better - i really thank god that he has 2 sistas and paid close attention to what they told him about girls::giggle!)
So after getting a dose of the 4 c's last night (Calories, Cry, Cuddle + vitamin C)..I'm off to take some photos today(hopefully) as i have a few hats lined up, and they have had no where to go!!!

Can you believe its nearly Christmas!!! I'm totally not ready!!! How did it sneak up so fast like that !!! Oh well as long as you spend it with fantabulous folks....thats what its all about right!
bye bye for now
lil jj

Sparky and the Urchyn

For those peeps i hadn't got around to telling yet....Sparky Jones and Urchyn are having an Open House/Christmas Party/ Come + See the studio day.......this SUNDAY - from 3 -7pm
Alexandra - is the owner of Urchyn and just happens to be a lover/maker of felt, accessories and all things beautifully made by hand........and we share the same loverly studio!!!

So we'd love you guys to come!
For more information on the where/when/how.....you'll have to check out Alexandra's brand spanking new Website here::: with the most beautiful gallery of wares that you just have to check out!!!
Bye bye for now
lil jj

2 More Sleeps...

well peeps its 2 more sleeps before the Christmas Show at Bottega!!! I'm pretty pumped - just working on a last few things +making my display even awesomER than before. I might be taking a couple o things from my etsy shop, but will still have most of my goodies up for grabs!!

On another note...my computer cable that got completely fried...well i found one in the shops at some crazy price ( now i look at things + say...okay well i have to sell so many hats to buy that), and this cable well it was worth a few hats - so i ordered one online which is only worth a portion of one hat!!!!
anyways moral of the story is:: when things go wrong it will usually be around the worst time, so always have a backup plan + a helmet!!! Ya just gots to laugh and do what you can right!!!
bye bye for now :: lil jj

What a gorgeous Picnic

Now Martha had a supa cute olive tablecloth, that she just didn't want anymore, she'd moved onto to plastic....as it was easier to clean. But hey her loss.!! This Mama Jones with Martha's tablecloth is uber vibrant and full of energy 'Picnic Reds' is now available in the shop....so have a peak at all her scrumptious features!So i'm just running on Battery right now...the cord to my computer just started Sparking, crackling + popping....so this post is short + sweet!! Better get off so i can do a minute of computering later before she really dies!
bye bye for now:: lil jj

What an Experience!!

So i while back i went to the lovely Miss Kailey's baby shower.....and a Sparky Jones Mama diaper bag was amongst the mass of wonderful pressie she received!! All the Mamas in the house were.....i'm excited to say 'ecstatic'. In all honesty, i was totally not ready for all the response:: i was feeling completely trashed, my business brain..well i must have left it at the Sparky HQ's, and i had absolutely no business cards - i was just going to my friends baby shower right!!(lesson 1: always be prepared::giggle!) HOWEVER when i was departing...this totally out there Mama named Maria, hit me up at the front door and asked me if i would come to her house and join a Jewellery party that she was hosting. 'For sure..i'm in' i say...and then we had a bit of a giggle at the idea of Sparky Jones being a baby shower Crasher, to make a lotta sales!!

(miss K's bag was kinda like this one, which i'll be posting tomorrow!)So i go to this Jewellery/Sparky party, which happens to be amongst the mansions set into the hillside that overlook one of our beautiful lakes!!. The house was ummmmm amazing (martha has nothing on this broad!)....so in i walked with my red Sparky suitcases (filled with all my goodies) - and just standing there in complete awe at the high ceilings, glamourous everything and gold glimmering christmas decorations...So i say 'well Maria i've got my suitcases..hope you don't mind, i think i might stay for a while!I had the whole front room to myself, complete with cozy luxury sofas, big fluffy pillows, a fireplace, and vintage side tables...so i called it the 'Sparky ROom' - and Maria definitely has a flare about her...so she quick as a flash set up my display which looked oh so fantabulous.
You know i didn't make many sales - did a bit of networking, alot of gossiping, a touch of eating, but most of all..i'm just so thankful that i got to have this experience - to met new peeps and do something.....that well just doesn't happen in your everyday life!!

Just working on my photography + designing the next Kepp Jones Hat
bye bye for now ::: lil jj

All things Beautiful

So i don't let myself go on the Anthropologie website much as i get........very very depressed!!! All things beautiful are found here and of course i always love the most expensive::giggle!...but lil jj must keep her pennies for boring things like food + rent over this festive season

the shoes
the Cardie

the blouse

the bed

and even the bedding

I WANT IT ALL!!!!!

life lesson 937:: don't go to the Anthropologie website...you'll love it way to much

bye bye for now::: lil jj

ChalkBoard + White

So it had really been bothering me of late....that the Sparky Shop is a bit all over the shop! Each photo shoot i try a get a bit better at this photography thing....but i seem to have a million different looks right now- and they kinda say on the etsy that you should keep you look constant so peeps can recognize your shop easily, i guess like the Golden Arches theory.
And since i moved from my old place the one with the dreamy light grey shed doors...i just haven't found 'IT' i guess. Until the other night i wake up from a deep slumber and i say to myself 'I've got it!'............well if i could have my dream house what would it look like (coz obviously that be a house filled with things that totally inspire me )
Well my dream house would be totally Shabby Chic - vintage white furniture (with totally colourful accessories of course!!) kitschy koo koo bits n' pieces, and chalkboards everywhere.....i'm a list writer, so you'd never lose your list if it was written on the wall!!

I seemed to have scored the bestest mirror on my last fabric hunt, i had the perfect white dress + pearls for the shabby chic...i'll i needed was the chalkboard. So off i go to the hardware shop, only to find that you can now get.....12 colours of Chalkboard paint!!! Freak OUt!!....but thats when you keep it simple right!! So black in hand....the reVamp began

And i'd just like to say...the cost of the revamp was $5 for the mirror, + $8 for the can of paint....so for a total of $13.....i'm pretty happy about that. As for the other goodies...already owned em..

So let me know what you think of the new look...and i guess i just gave you a sneeky lil look at the hats that are coming to the shop this week!!! I'm just going to be using some other Top Notch Noggins so that i can concentrate on my 'photography' a bit more!

bye bye for now ::lil jj

meet Danielle of Penelope & Co..

So the other day i had this great idea....to sell my Betsy Jones earrings to this cute lil shop called Penelope & Co that i absolutely love + is conviently (as in dangerously good!) across the road from the Sparky HQ's. So, off i went with some earrings in hand - i marched on over there leaving behind my brain, any sort of plan + not one business card, luckily my earrings come on a business card!. So in i walk...blurt out all this information (@ this point i don't think my brain + mouth were actually connected) and the lovely shop owner...said ' For sure i'd love to sell your earrings in here, i think they'll do well'.

And thats when my brain started to work. So Danielle (Not Penelope as i found out...luckily before i called her Penelope!) not only stocks supa cool gifts and goodies....she is supa cool!!! Totally relaxed and down to earth, its easy to see that she loves what she does and wants our small conservative town to be funk-i-ma-fied with little pressies, accessories + decor that go outside the box!!!!! YipPy!!
Lil miss D, got the idea for the shop when she lived in Victoria, B.C (home of the scrumptious shopping possibilities for those who don't know) and with a bit of help from the Community Futures business program, set up her dream on Main St, Penticton. So where does the name Penelope & Co come from....well who doesn't love that name Penelope...its just so darned cute, warm + friendly - just like her + her shop!!

So if you are in a jam for Christmas presents - definitely take a look in her shop...she seriously has presents for everybodies...even those that are supa hard peeps you hate to buy for !!!

And check out her P & co FB page for the latest + greatest.

On another note.....just a cheeky look at the next 2 hats that are coming to the shop, with another 2 not too far behind (i'm seriously on a roll right now..I made a Mae Jones today that just wasn't quite right...so i pulled it apart - Did some mixing + matching with other fabrics, and will now have 2 different hats that are nearly finished that i absolutely adore !

Bye bye for now

lil jj

Life Lesson 517:: Sometime when you leave your brain behind...good things happen!!

Christmas at Bottega

Funny how when one door closes, another one opens. I was totally bummed out when i couldn't make it to the Fabulous Finds Show a couple of weeks ago (due to the 'drama dominos effect'...good way to describe life sometimes!)

Anyhoo..i get this random email from a broad that i did a Show at ages ago at the Streaming Cafe in Kelowna ( i really want to get there for one of their Live Music Shows-they seem to have amazing peeps coming play!) (This was my stand at the Streaming Cafe Show - i'm making some improvements to my display tho!)

Inviting Sparky Jones to be a part of a totally rad Christmas Show, but not at the Cafe.....at a 'OH my GOODNESS' kinda venue. I keep having a look the the Bottega Website....because its just so dreamy + eco!

Check out their FaceBook events page to get the total scoop on the Show....But what i love about this event...is its going to be pretty awesome, music, splendiferous arts + craft...but its all really about helping peeps in need !! To participate in the show, you had to make a $50 donation to the FoodBank, and then proceeds from the show will be donated as well!!!

Here's a great shot of the venue too!!! I just can't WAIT!!!!

Bye bye for now::: Lil jj.

ps-i have 3 different hats coming to the shop this week!!!!

Fabulous findings

A while back, i was doing a market and this lady was seriously stocking up on some Sparky Betsy Jones earrings...so naturally(being completely blunt as i am), i asked why she needed so many?? She replied...well these are the bestest lil stocking stuffers!!! Sometimes it takes someone on the outside to give you the most simple ideas!! So thanks a trillion random lady !! So i hunted thru my masses + yards of fabric, only to come to the conclusion that 'hey' what a splendiferous way to share my most favouritest fabrics.
So there are 9 designs to chose from::
+ rockin' retro - luscious red with embossed white polkadots
+ peachy keen - a silky checkered number in 2 shades of juicy peach
+ tangerine bliss - totally tactile + kitschy to spice up any outfit!
+ lemon merginue - yum yum yum, light + fluffy with a hint of citrus
+ avocado - healthy and lively , adorned with a lil red +
+ peppermint breeze - fresh swirls of teals, aqua and greens
+ cerulean blue - shades of the sky and mod like circles
+ choco latte - delicious hues of coffee, chocolate and crema
+ black knight - who wouldn't love going out on the town with a strong black knight

Mmmmmm Peppermint Breeze!
And another couple o things i wanted to share...was my fabulous finds!! Of course i was on the hunt for some corduroy for my latest batch of Kinn Jones hats....and i walked out with this completely kitschy koo koo number that i got for a complete steal.

And few yards of this delightful vintage blue fabric that is ABSOLUTELY perfect for the theme of my next batch of hats
bye bye for now:: lil jj

Pretty in Pink

There were WAY to many gorgeous photos to choose from!!

I adorned my Bestie with a frou frou vintage oufit, red high heels and the latest Jemima Jones clutch......outcome::: absolutely stunning photo shoot and way too much fun!!!

I don't often use black, but as soon as i came across this delicious silky fabric...it was screaming classy black trimmings!! The inside is lined in an upcycled vintage pink that has lil embossed dots that glimmer in the light

AND the other most fantabulous thing about this character....its an all-season clutch!! A cozy black winter coat or a summery dress....this lil beauty is always going to stand out and scream.....'I'm a whole lotta fun':::giggle

You can have a bit more of a look see here:::

And last up...a glimpse of the next Kinn Jones hats!!

Bye bye for now

lil jj

Lil beauties

Armed with the most gorgeous.... Sparky Accessories + bestest friend,

a touch of vintage glamour

and my new camera...........

well you'll just have to wait + see!!

bye bye for now

lil teasy jj

I LOVE SALES!!

Everybody loves a good Sale and well Black !!
So i have some great news....this week...for the ' Can't Make it to the Show' Sale....There are 4 Lil Black Hats for Super Duper Sale...yeppers $50 CAD a pop....which i'd like to say is 'Awesome!'

City Slicker Clifford had decided that he was sick of the rat race - that he should retire early..+ move to the country (just like in all those cool housey magazines that you love hating to read!) So a pair of his city slacks + former life are just waiting to be lovingly snipped and stitched into everyones favourite...Little.Black.Hat !!.

The other great news is:

a) Lil jj has decided to make everyones favourite Sparky hat a staple in the shop! YiPpy!

b) The lining on each batch of these hats- will be resplendently unique !!!So have a look see here:

Otherwise...will be back soon!!! Bye bye for now lil jj

She's more than....

Well i'm sure you have all met this character...her name is 'Bujetta Jones'- i've always called her a wallet...but of late, i've realized she is WAY, way way more than that!!!

So what do i mean:: well to be honest, i've been using my Bujetta as my everything Clutch for ages. I go food shopping...she is in my bag, i go out for a night on the town...she's flying solo under my arm.....need to find that receipt from the beginning of the month, whilst applying lipstick, whilst buying a sanity sip(coffee)...she is always with me!

I'm sure you are taking in what i'm putting down by now::giggle

she's simply - not just a wallet. Now - i know its just a word...but this is infact HUGE!!!

I'd always been limiting her to the one category...when infact she falls into many!!! Clutch,wallet, organizer, holder of everything(girlie stuff, lipstick, note pads, cheque books, pens, cell phones, and most importantly....cash + plastic!))So the long and the short of it....she's a multi-tasker for the multi-tasker.....and she looks pretty fantabulous!!You can check one out here:: + will be making some more next week...fingers x'd (my theme next week has something to do with fall !!!!)

bye bye for now - lil jj

OH NO!!!

Well i had signed up for this cool lil show a while back... only to have a week from hell this week!! I was trying not to let things get on top of me - but i guess i hit the wall. My car broke down, some supplies that i needed for the show got lost in mail, yada yada - i won't bore you with the details........so i finally thought..well perhaps its best if i don't go...as i'll probably end up crying on instead of selling myself to the customer::giggle.

I thought well i have a lot of extra goodies lying around the shop now...

so::

Decided to take the downer and turn it into something Fantabulous!!!

A SPARKY SALE!!

I'll be adding some more goodies throughout the week...so keep checking back in the store

I just added 2 of these most cutiest lil 'Bowling Green' Kepp Jones hats to the shop(i totally love this photo of jen!)and would you look at that...these lil caps match the Waste Wonderful wristlets!!::giggle!

bye bye for now-lil jj

The Box - part I of III...

I have 3 wonderful stories that all revolve around 'The Box'!!!
Part I:::
So a while back...i decided that it was time i needed to expand - to learn something new, re-energize the brain cells, take on a new goal, but in order to do so....i would need to go outside the BOX!! Outside the comfort zone + routine, and throw myself into.....something that really interests moi............

And that would be Photography!!

I've always wanted to better my skills in that department, but never had the guts (as i am in NO WAY at all tech savvy ) to take it to the next level
So i sucked it up + signed up for photoshop program at the local college, and i gots to say...i had a blast. The average age of peeps in the class was about....um 70!!! So i buddied up with the other spring chicken in the class, sat up the back and stumbled my way through photoshop basics with a far bit of chit chatting + a lot of giggling!!
So next on my hit list of going outside the box...was finding a Sparky Model!(being stubbornly independant can waste alot of time i have realized!!) And funny enough I recently ran in to this loverly creative lady who has cut my hair once or twice in the past and was game for a bit of modelling !!

So we hit up the HQ's back alley for a bit of a Cosmopoliton feel....for the latest Kepp Jones:::

'Cosmopoliton Greens'

My most beautiful dress made this deep khaki beauty -all the industrial seamlines made the classiest lil Cosmopoliton Kepp Jones!! I used a yummy upcycled olive canvas that can be sneakily seen on the underside of the brim + flap on her side...and is finished up with...A MATCHING DEEP KHAKI BUTTON - but of course!!!!
The lining - well all i gots to say is it matches perfectly...and will fit comfortably snug!!
Adorned with organic + upcycled eco Sparky Jones labels....this lil number is going to be the favourite part of your day!!!! Bye bye for now
lil jj
Life Lesson 587:: When people know less about computers than you do...i can make you seem really smart- giggle!!

hot off the press...

So i happened to be running DANGEROUSLY low on my Sparky big labels...and i was all outta the delicious fabric that i had used previously. No biggy i thought, i'll just jump on the net and order some similar fabric, ummmmmm not so much!! I searched high and low for beige organic twill.....and its like one of those things you see everywheres until you supa dupa need it!!!
I ended up ordering some tan organic twill that was soooooooooooooo unbelieveably scrumptious when i got it............but it was more like WHITE!!! So i investigated low-impact dyes....got the goods, dyed my yummy fabric ...a loverly shade of PEACH!!!!
So by this point...i'm really starting to sweat. WHAT DO I DO?? So what did i do...i went straight to my happy place:Value Village!
Rummaging through fabric makes me so unbelieveably happy, like a kid at christmas - i get all sorts of ideas, i see fabrics that would look great as a hat, oh that would make a nice bag yada yada, oh that would make awesome labels: LABELS....could you believe it...it was the absolutely 'spot on' coloured fabric that was 100% cotton!!! So i whip it up, run to the cash registers, yelling 'i've finally got it..i got it did you hear me everybodies!-I'VE FOUND IT!!'
So here are all 282 of em, that the peeps at Zink Print whipped up for me in a jiffy. The eco inks worked a charm on my upcycled fabric...so now all i have to do is get busy cutting and ironing them into the lil labels that are lovingly hand sewn into each Sparky character.......crisis averted!!!
bye bye for now
lil jj
life lesson 375:: never leave things until you have one left!!

Bernard + his corduroy trousers.

Bernard is a shortish man who loves corduroy everything...so much so, his lovely wife of 40 years has started to clean out his wardrobe of some of this corduroy goodness to make way for a her new trend.....DENIM! So a pair of his loverly deep Olive cords, were lovingly snipped + stitched to make this Cozy Mae Jones.

'Winter Greens' is her name...she's the colours on a cold wintery day on a misty moor - deep olives, stone greys and earthy khaki. All i could think of whilst i was making her was eating my Mama's famous zucchini soup(secret ingredient = bacon! Yummo!) horseriding and strolling in the hills of the brisk Irish landscape(not that i have ever been there...just seen it in the movies!)......truth be known i'm a bit of a daydreamer and have a tiny bit of an over-active imagination:::giggle!!!
Anyways you can check her out a bit more in the 'Fancy Pants' Nogginware in the shop!!
Bye bye for now
lil jj

Just a quicky

A trip i mean!!! Thought we'd better make a quick dash to the woods before it gets too cold...so we headed across the border to do some campin' n spurging! Heading into the hills, on twisty logging roads, passing by lakes and rocky outcrops...we came upon this::: a huge landscape of a past wildfire. It was oddly beautiful and sooooooo serene due to the eerie silence. The only thing that seemed to be moving around was trucks....and lots of em'.
We couldn't figure out what was going on...these pick-up trucks just kept driving by.....UNTIL we realized, these guys were shooting the wildlife too- but they were wearing camo n' guns instead of a camera!!! Aparently Hunting Season in the U.S was officially OPEN! - what a fantabulous time to go camping::giggle

my 3 mischievious sidekicks (the little devil is dressed up in the cute white fluffy outfit!!)

We spent quite a bit of time in this cutsie lil town that was totally vintage everything - shops,signs, buildings, gas stations the lot:::and managed to buy some absolutely kitschy jewellery from a flee market for a steal!!(you'll get to see that in some upcoming photo shoots!)

Went for a bit of a cruise in the forest, stopped for some supper n' scenery by the lake - on high alert mind you ...no sudden movements were made!!!

AND when camping...you need to treat yourself to a lil' MudPie and a boozy coffee RIGHT!

And check out the campsite....was such a beautiful morning, the air was still and fresh...and i was woken by the sound of gunfire!!! NO S**T!

But alas, the holiday had to end...and we had to come home, but a we are both a lil refreshed and ready for exciting new happenings.

bye bye for now

lil jj

Day Two of the Onslaught

Well it continued....I came home at lunch again to check up on the villain in question, only to find he had devoured my most favourite book of all time, parts of my nerdy plant bible and the Piece de resistance ::: a whole roll of toilet paper had decorated the crime scene, the living room and the bathroom and there was not one break in the roll to be found -
But i seriously thought, well he wouldn't be dumb enough to do it twice in a row, but now that i think about it, perhaps he was the smarter one!!! Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh
Life at the headquarters is a lil more calming, so i have been busying quite effectively. I've found that if i have about 3 things on the go, its WAY more fun than ploding away at the one thing all day. So I decided today that i should call my coin purses 'Waste Wonders' coz they are just as wonderful as the 'Waste Wonderfuls' but just a lil more compact. I use mine for my few essential cards, sanity in a cup money( aka coffee)+ lipbalm

I put some vintage trim on the sides, coz i just so darn cute i had to use it somewhere...and its kinda practical ....you could say, um attach them to a D ring in a fantabulous bag or something:::giggle

And a sneeky peeky of 'Winter Greens' that is looking out the window at the gloomy weather

Can't wait to write my next post!!!! I'm on an exciting new adventure called ' You worked hard to save it....now lets spend!!' YiPpy for retail therapy....I FEEL ON TOP OF THE WORLD RIGHT NOW!!!!! Who says money can't buy you happiness...giggle!!

righto will be posting my new goodies throughout the week

bye bye for now

lil jj.